Ore grinder and separator



Y* (No Model.) 3' sheetsQ-snet J. W. MACDONALD.

ORE GRINDER AND SBPARATOR.

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J. W. MACDONALD.

ORE GRINDER AND SEPARATOR.

No. 531,127. Patented Dee. 18. 1894..

3 Sheets-Sheet 2..

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J@ W. MAGDONALD. ORE GRINDER AND SEPABATOR. NO- 531,127.- I vPatentedDec. 18,1894,

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, UNITED STATE-SL PATENT OFFICE.

JoHNW. MACDONALD, 4on Prr'r'sBURe, PENNsYLvANIA.

OREV'GRINDER AND SEPARATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 531,127, dated December1B, 1894:.V

Application led December 13,1893. Serial Ilm/193,579.

Beit known that I, JOHN W. MACDONALD, Y

a c itizen of the United States, residing in the city ofPittsburg, inthe county of Allegheny, in the State of Pennsylvania, have inventedcertain-useful Improvements in Ore Grinders and Separators, of which thefollowing, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a fulldescription.

This invention-,relates to that vices that have for their object thegrinding and separating at one operation, of ores composed of'elementsof different specific gravity, and islespecially adapted to the workingof gold ores."

Figure l is a vertical cross section of said device with' improvementsshown. Fig. 2 is a top view of, bottom of body of machine, 4showingconcave plate 5 and water conduits 7, in place. Fig. 3, is a bottom Viewof the auxiliary chamber or trough 4, showing one of the closing platesremoved and showing also portions `of removable water conduits. Fig. 4,is a vertical section and a bottom vievv of removable Water conduitsshowing manner of supporting same in place. Fig. 5 is an enlarged crosssection 'vof removable Water conduits and concave plate to whichv itisathaving a central cup journal 2.

tached. Fig.6 is a vertical cross section of device for preventing theground pulp from reaching the stuffing box of the centralshaft, and Fig.7 is an enlarged vertical cross section of hopper and feeding device.v y

In constructing a machine to'carry out said improvements@ circular base1 of the gen'- eral form shown in Fig. 1 is placed upon suitablestandards resting upon a bed plate j Into an annular depression formedin the base 1 is placed an annular casting 3, shaped in cross sectionas'rshow-n, to form the lower part 'of a grinding track, Concentric withthe grinding 4track 3 and Within the inner circumference thereof, thebase l is so shaped as to` form an annular trough 4, preferably of therelative size shown, for the purpose herein`.

after described.

Over the annular trough 4 is fitted an annular plate 5, the uppersurface of which is made concave, through which, and in the line of thecircle thereof,a number of openings 6 are made. -From suitable metal,preferablyv (No model.)

non-corrosive under ordinary circumstances,

in the form of segments of a circle and in cross section as shown,and'of such length and Width as to lit closely into the openings 6 in theannular concave plate 5. Through. the 4movable parts 7 and in the centerline thereof, a narrow slotted opening 8 is cut, the size of- Whichisdetermined lby the work to be done;l The movable parts 7 are vfittedinto the openings 6in the annular plate 5 from the underl sidethereofand are secured in place by a strap 9 and bolt 10. The movableparts 7 with slotted openings 8 being now in place form a series ofconduits between the body of the machine and chamber 4, for the purpose;hereinafter stated. v

The auxiliary chamber or trough 4 is provided with openings 11 throughthe bottom thereof, adapted to be closed by suitable plates 12, whichopenings are to be of sufficient size to permit of the free passagethrough the same of the movable conduits 7.

. In the center of the under side of the base Y d, passes up throughsaid stuffing box into the body ofthe machine. Above the stuffing box 14but below the body of the machine, a chamber 15 is formed around theshaft 13. Atjthe top of said` cham-ber 15 a bushing 16 isitted having aninside diameter large enoughyto leave a passage around and between it;and the shaft 13. Y*

Upon the annular track 3 a numberof metal A Vupper partof the grindingtrack, which is ffitted to a heavy circular rider 19, that forconvenience in handling may be made in two I parts, one of which isprovided with a central square opening fitted with a bushing ofhardyened steel 20, to receive 'a clutch 21'attached to the verticalshaft 13, and which clutch is provided With a depending arm 22 toform aplow.` To the base plate 1 is fitteda casing 23 of sheet metal to formthevbody of the machine, and which reaches"in height nearly three times4the diameter of the balls 17 and is provided Withoutlets 24 and 25 attop and bottom respectively. From the upper edge of casing 23, radialarms 26 project inward IOO to an annular plate 27, to which latter isattached a depending pipe or ore chute 28. By means of the arms 29 acentrally placed collar 30 is held in position within the chute 28 tosupport a hopper 31. Centrally suspended within the hopper 31 from abridge 32 placed across the top thereof, is a hollow tube 33 providedupon the upper end thereof with a cap 34. To the lower end of said tube33 is secured a disk 35 provided with a hollow hub open at its lowerend. Said disk should hang below and be of slightly larger diameter thanthe collar 30 and be concentric with the vertical shaft 13. The verticalshaft 13 in a reduced diameter is continued up through the body of themachine and into the hollow hub of the disk 35. Fitted to the shaft 13near the upper end is a clutch 36 adapted to interlock with lugs 37formed on the under side of the disk 35.

Passing through the cap 34 and extending down through the hollow tube 33and through a threaded opening 38 in the lower part of the hollow hub ofthe disk 35 is a rod 39, the lower end of which rests upon the upper endof the shaft 13, the function of said rod being to adjust and supportthe disk 35 to the proper position on the shaft 13 when in operation. Toa standard 40 resting upon the bridge 32 is pivoted a lever 41, one endof which is loosely fitted around the hollow tube 33, and under the cap34, the other end being provided with a hand rod 42. A water pipe 43extends around the lower part of the body of the machine from which leadother smaller pipes 44, and enters the chamber 4, near its top. There isalso connected with the chamber 4 at .a point sufficiently nearitsbottom to drain the same, a pipe 45 which leads to a mercury reservoir46 placed outside the body of the machine. Adrain pipe 47 having asuitable closing valve is arranged to enter the body of the machinethrough the base 1. The chamber 15 above the stuling box or shaft 13 isfitted with a pipe 48, provided witha stop cock to drain or supply thesame.

The operation of my improved device is as followszTheshaft 13 is causedto revolve, which gives motion to the upper grinding track 18, which inturn causes the balls 17 to travel around the lower grinding track 3.The stuffing box of the shaft 13 being properly packed, the chamber l5is lled through the pipe 48 with any heavy liquid substance preferablymercury. Water under pressure is supplied to the pipe 43 and passesthence by pipes 44 into the chamber 4, and when the latter is lled movesupward through the reduced area of the movable conduits 7 at a high rateof speed, the volume of water passing through said conduits 7 beingsufficient, but not more than enough to maintain within the body of themachine a gentle current toward the top where it overflows through theoutlet 24. If the rod 42 be now raised, the disk 35 will drop down thevertical shaft 13 and be set in motion by coming in contact with theclutch i water.

36 on the revolving shaft13. The function of the threaded rod 39 beingto support the disk 35 by resting upon the upper end ot the shaft 13 aswell as to regulate the opening between `the lower end of the hopper 31and said disk 35, the latter should therefore be dropped down until thelower end of the threaded rod rests upon the upper end of the saidshaft, and it will be seen that by an adjustment of said rod the openingbetween the hopper 31 and disk 35 can be made larger or smaller, and thepassage through the same of the material to be grou nd can be regulatedaccordingly. Ore that has been previously reduced to smallsize is fedinto the hopper 31 where it will reach the disk 35, and the latterrevolving will carry the ore outward through the opening beneath thecollar 30, whence it passes by way of the chute 28 into the body of themachine and is there carried out against the casing 23 to fall down uponthe grinding track 3 beneath the traveling balls 17.

The successful operation of this device coutemplates the grinding of theore ne enough to free from one another the elements cornposing it, andas this operation goes on, that element which is of the greatestspecific gravity will settle toward the lowest point in the bottom ofthe body of the machinethe concave of. the plate -and all others will becarried ,0E by the upward current of As that element of the ore soughtto 1 be saved-which is the heavier of all the ele i ments theretoforecombined in the ore-falls g tothe bottom of the machine, it is importanty that it nds a resting place away from the agitation within the body ofthe machine and a position in which, when once separated from the pulpit will remain so, and where it may be drawn ott without interferencewith the operations of the machine. To this end a separate body ofcomparatively still water is provided within the auxiliary chamber ortrough 4, beneath the concave plate 5.

From the concave plate 5, a number of conduits 7 reach down into thechamber 4 and connect the same with the body of the machine. Theseconduits are of such length that the water passing through them will begiven a well directed upward current and a speed proportionate to thearea of the conduits and the pressure of the water in the chamber 4,both of which are to be adjusted from time to time to the character ofthe ore to be worked and the specitic gravity of the element sought tobe saved. To facilitate this adjustment as required by the change linthe character of the ore, said conduits are ;made removable, and topermit of easy examination thereof without interference with the heavyparts of the machine, suitable openings are provided in the bottom ofthe chamber 4, through which they can be reached. In the course of theoperation of this device, particles of ore small enough to pass throughsaid conduits but still in original combination, will settle upon theconcave plate 5, and

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would pass from vthere through saidsconduits into said chamber 4, wereit not for the rapidv rapid current of Water flowing up through conduits7 and drops through the same int the quiet water in the chamber 4. Y

In working gold and silver ores with this machine, the bottom of thechamberA 4 should be covered with mercury to receive particles ofmineral that drop into said chamber, and

this is supplied from the resevoir 46 through the pipe 45 andis drawnoff again through the-same pipe after it has amalgamated with themineral dropping into it and is replaced with fresh mercury.

Heretofore in machines of this class it has been found most difficult topreserve the main shaft from destruction -at that point where it worksthrough a stuffing box and enters the body of the pulp, for the reasonthat the finely ground pulp finds its way between the shaft and thepacking of the stuffing box where it acts to cut it away. To avoid thisdifficulty, the construction here shown provides a small chamber 15immediately above the stuffing box 14 having an opening into the body ofthe machine to con tain a liquid substance much greater in specificgravity than the pulp above it. It is obvious that under such conditionsthe pulp will not go below the service of the substance in said chamber,and as it will not therefore come in contact with any frictional part ofsaid shaft it cannot act to destroy it. With.

the same construction-water may also be used to protect the said-shaftfrom destruction in the following manner, viz: The pipe 48 beingconnected with the chamber 15 is supplied with waterunder pressure,whence it passes to said chamber 15 and from there makes its exit by wayof opening between said shaft 13 and bushing 16, up into the body of themachine. It will be understood that the quantity of water supplied tosaid chamber must be great enough to cause it to flow therefrom up intothe body of the machine with such pressure as to reject any of the heavypulp that might otherwise work intosaid chamber and finally reach thestuff'- ing box 14. What I claim, and desire to secure by Let' tersPatent,vis-' l. The combination,in an ore grinder and separator, of acasing, an annular grinding track within said casing, and an annularauxiliary chamber-having an opening or av series of openings circularlyarranged'inside the circle of said'grinding track and concentric'therewith, substantially as and for the purposes set forth. f v

2. lThe combination, in au ore grinder and separator, of a casing, anannular grinding track, and an auxiliary chamber provided with a seriesof openings through the top thereof, and with removable bottomssubstantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. The combination, in an oi'e grinder and separator, of a casingforming a body portion containing an annular grinding track, an annularchamber formed in the bottom of said body portion within the circle ofsaid grinding track and concentric therewith5an annular concave plateshaped to cover said annular chamber and provided with openings in thecenter thereof,`adapted to receive a series of conduits substantially asand for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination, in an ore grinder and separator of a casing forminga body portion and provided with an annular auxiliary vchamber beneaththe same, a series of retrack outside of said chamber or trough andconcentric therewith, a vertical shaft passing through the body portion,an upper grinding track mounted upon said shaft, grinding rolls betweensaid upper and lower grinding tracks, a stuffing boxV for said shaft inthe bottom of the body portion, a chamber 15, surrounding said shaftabove said stuffing box, and a bushing 16 surrounding said shaft abovesaid chamber 15, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination, in an ore grinder and separator, of a casing forminga body portion, a chamber beneath the said body portion, a series ofconduits in the upper part of said chamber, a lower grinding track insaid casing and outside of said conduits, a vertical shaft mountedwithin the casing, an upper grinding track mounted on said shaft,grinding balls or rolls between said upper and lower grinding tracks, ahopper mounted above the casing, a distributing disk mounted beneathsaid hopper and a clutch between said vertical shaft and saiddistributing disk, substantially as described.

7. The combination in an-ore grinder and separator, of a casing forminga body portion,

va chamber beneath said -body portion' and communicating with the same,a lower grinding track in said body portion, a vertical shaft mountedwithin the --casing, an upper grinding track mounted on said' shaft,grinding Yballs or rolls between said upper and lower grinding tracks, ahopper in the upper part of the casing, a distributing disk beneath saidhopper, and adjacent to the upper end IIO of said Vertical shaft, clutchconnections between said vertical shaft and said distributing disk, andan adjusting rod 39, for adjusting the position of said distributingdisk, substantially as described.

8. The combination, in an ore grinder and separator, of a casing forminga body portion, a chamber beneath said body portion and communicatingwith the same, a series of conduits in the upper part of said chamber, alower grinding track within the casing and outside of said conduits, avertical shaft mounted Within the casing, an upper grinding trackmounted on said shaft, grinding balls or rolls between said upper orlower grinding tracks, a Water supply pipe 43, extending around themachine, and branch ing track 18, mounted on said vertical shaft,

grinding or crushing rolls 17, between said upper and lower grindingtracks, a mercury vessel 46, on the outside ot' the machine, and a pipe45, connecting said mercury vessel with a chamber 4, substantially asdescribed. 3o

J. W. MACDONALD. Witnesses:

J. G. BELL, II. D. GAMBLE.

